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July 23, 2008

So I've told y'all that I've recently gone back to work part time...the first time in hmm, well a loong time! My saint of a Mama is watching my cherubs while I'm away and there is just nobody better to leave them with than her. xoxo So we're trying a new system to encouraged the cherubs to look beyond themselves and go the extra mile so to speak.

We're using a STAR SYSTEM...oooh, I know it sounds complicated and all high-tech and stuff but really the average mom can do it too! That's right and I'm going to tell you how, for free!!

Ok, so you get a piece of paper for each cherub. You put their name on the top of it. Then at each line you can put something they did that went the extra mile or a behavior that you really want to encourage them in. Examples: sweeping the stairs, putting someone else first before themselves, obeying the first time asked, etc. Like for my Chloe, she gets a star or 2 for getting up, dressed, bed made, teeth brushed by herself cause she likes help and stuff. Y'all get the picture.

It seems to be really working! Of course with my 2 it turns into a fierce competition like everything else and then we have to work on that attitude stuff but overall, it works for me! :) The thing I really like about it is that it provides lots of teachable moments like no, honey you don't get a star for handing mommy that fork....or no, honey you don't get a star for clearing your dinner items, that's just part of being a family.

From the stories my hubby tells me and since I've gone back to work I've heard alot about the "younger generations" not having a great work ethic. You know, they come to work...sometimes on time, they put in their bare minimum and they leave. Nothing more or less. So this star system is great for teaching our cherubs to look for things they can do to be a help...to ask about something they can do for someone else! It encourages them to not only do what is expected of them but to go farther. It doesn't come naturally for kids to think about others before themselves...so this is my experiment this summer. I think it can work!

You can get all fancy with the stars....oooooh, like make them REAL sticker stars or something and make the chart like on poster board or something! But for the ones with little time and little creativity...a piece of paper works FAB!! :D

So what do the cherubs get for a reward??? Well, you can set a number like 15 for the first time...the cherubs can go get an ice cream/snow cone or pick out a small toy. Whatever. Then the next time maybe you'll make the number a little higher...it's all what you want it to be!!

That's it...hope it's an encouragement...if you do it, let me know how it works! If you do something else...leave me a comment, I'm always open for NEW ideas!!!